Menopause

Our Petoskey Health Center can help you learn about and manage menopause.

Menopause is one of the major turning points in a woman’s life, but every woman experiences this change in different ways. We understand that although menopause is a normal, natural health process, its symptoms can be confusing and disruptive. Common symptoms include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, problems sleeping, mood changes, and changes in sex drive, or painful sex.

Our health care professionals are here to help you make sense of these changes and provide you with helpful information on what’s next. They can also help you manage menopause symptoms.

What is menopause?

Menopause starts when your ovaries stop making estrogen and slow down making other reproductive hormones, such as progesterone. Without these hormones, you stop getting your period and stop being able to get pregnant.

If you’re between 45 and 55 and you haven’t had your period in a year, you aren’t pregnant, and you don’t have a serious illness, you may be going through menopause.

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause where you may have symptoms. This stage can last from a few months to up to 10 years and is a process that may start, stop, and start up again. Perimenopause usually begins in your 40s, but it can start earlier. People who smoke usually start perimenopause two years earlier than nonsmokers.

We can help.

Our Petoskey Health Center offers the following menopause services:

Screenings for breast and cervical cancer
Referrals for colorectal screening, bone density testing, and mammograms
Tests on lipids, glucose, and thyroid, which aren’t always included in annual exams but are important to do as your body changes.

Support for Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s Menopause Project is provided by

The Charlevoix County Community Foundation

The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation